was to have accomplished for His people
Israel as individuals and as a nation. Be-
cause of their rejection of Jesus as the
Messiah, . . . however, the nation as such
forfeited the ministry and favor of Mes-
siah."—The
Seventh-day Adventist Bible
Commentary,
on Isa. 61:1.
This chapter brings to view the high
position to which God calls His people in
Christ Jesus. Before the end comes, God
will have' a holy people, whose righteous-
ness will be evident to all men, Gentiles and
kings alike. God Himself will find joy in
them. They will be His crown of glory
and royal diadem. They will be a praying
people, faithful watchmen on the walls of
Zion.
We shall miss the lesson of this chapter
if we apply it only to other times and peo-
ples. We shall also miss it if we apply the
lesson to others rather than to ourselves
individually. God will not merely have a
holy people, He wants
me
to be holy. Per-
sonal sanctification is the aim of the truth.
Christ's Work Set forth in
Prophecy
1.
On what occasion did Jesus
quote Isa. 61:1 and part of verse 2?
To whom did He apply these words?
Luke 4:16-20.
NOTE.—"Jesus stood before the people
as a living expositor of the prophecies con-
cerning Himself. Explaining the words He
had read, He spoke of the Messiah as a
reliever of the oppressed, a liberator of cap-
tives, a healer of the afflicted, restoring
sight to the blind, and revealing to the
world the light of truth. His impressive
manner and the wonderful import of His
words thrilled the hearers with a power
they had never felt before."—The
Desire
of Ages,
page 237.
2.
Speaking through the prophet,
what work did Christ say He had
been anointed to do? Isa. 61:1.
NOTE.—Jesus was anointed with the Holy
Spirit and power. Acts 10:38. In the Old
Testament the priests were anointed, and
also the kings. Ex. 29:5-7; 1 Sam. 9:15, 16.
It was a sign of appointment to high of-
fice and denoted consecration and dedica-
tion to it.
"Anointed Me to preach." There is no
higher office than that of the gospel min-
ister. It was to this exalted ministry that
Jesus was anointed, and the qualifications
for the anointing are given in Ps. 45:7 and
Heb. 1:9. Christ loved righteousness and
hated iniquity; therefore God anointed
Him.
"The brokenhearted." As the Samaritan
bound up the wounds of the man that fell
among thieves (Luke 10:34), so Christ was
to bind up the brokenhearted, to comfort,
to heal, the sorrowing and distressed. In
this work we are to follow Him.
"Proclaim liberty." The only true lib-
erty is freedom from sin. John 8:32, 36;
Rom. 6:18.
3.
What did Christ come to pro-
claim? Who shall be comforted? Isa.
61:2.
NOTE.—"Acceptable year." "The year of
the Lord's favor," Revised Standard Ver-
sion. It may be well to contrast the year
of Jehovah's favor with the day of ven-
geance. Even as the year is much longer
than the day, so God's mercy is much
more abundant than is His wrath.
"When Jesus in the synagogue read from
the prophecy, He stopped short of the
final specification concerning the Messiah's
work. Having read the words, `To pro-
claim the acceptable year of the Lord,' He
ommitted the phrase, 'and the day of ven-
geance of our God.' Isa. 61:2. This was
just as much truth as was the first of the
prophecy, and by His silence Jesus did not
deny the truth. But this last expression
was that upon which His hearers delighted
to dwell, and which they were desirous of
fulfilling. They denounced judgments
against the heathen, not discerning that
their own guilt was even greater than that
of others. They themselves were in deep-
est need of the mercy they were so ready
to deny to the heathen."—The
Desire of
Ages,
pages 240, 241.
4.
What three things will God ex-
change for them that mourn in Zion?
What will they be called? Why? Isa.
61:3.
185
1